Movies - Asian Films #1

shrrshrr · 04-16-2006, 05:29 PM

A friend sent me the DVDs of Bride with White Hair and "Something" Portland. I have Bride on VHS so it was nice to get the DVD but I haven't seen the other one yet. Should be fun to watch.

***isy*** · 04-25-2006, 11:53 PM

i've been out of the loop for awhile so i havent been online, plus FF was not accessible anyways...

shhrshrr - i've seen Bride with the white hair . it was intresting. i want to see A chinese ghost story and a chinese odyssey ....

i'm trying to remember the latest flicks i've seen...but i can't remember right now. memory lapse!

Anabela · 04-28-2006, 03:27 AM

It's nice to see this thread back.

I've been watching some asian movies lately.
The best was Nobody Knows. I cried my eyes out. It was moving and absolutely beautiful. An amazing movie in every way. I love the story and the actors.

I've also seen some very recent asian movies.
-> Eli, Eli, rema, Sabachthani?
-> Mang Zhong

shrrshrr · 04-29-2006, 05:31 PM

My friend, Ron, sent this to me - haven't seen it yet but really want to (SPOILERS possible):

Quote:

April 28, 2006
MOVIE REVIEW

Maggie Cheung Is All Washed Up but Holding Out Hope for Redemption in 'Clean'
By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Countless episodes of the old VH1 series "Behind the Music" have drummed into our heads the hazards of living the rock 'n' roll life after a certain age.
"Clean" is one of the few fiction films to evoke realistically the grubby texture of existence for second- and third-tier rock celebrities crumbling under a combination of fading renown and drug addiction.

As this fine French film, written and directed by Olivier Assayas, leapfrogs from Canada to London to Paris to San Francisco, its jangling rhythms reflect the shattered nervous system of its desperate central character, Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung), a recovering heroin addict and aspiring rock singer.

Ms. Cheung deservedly won best actress at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her portrayal of Emily, the surviving half of a fading rock 'n' roll couple, both junkies, as she faces a bleak, uncertain future after her partner's death. The reckless phase of her life crashes to a halt when Lee Hauser (James Johnston), her 42-year-old common-law husband, dies from an accidental overdose in a Canadian motel room. Returning to the motel, which she had left after a brutal quarrel with Lee, Emily is arrested, charged with heroin possession and sentenced to six months in prison.

On her release, Emily finds herself broke and treated disdainfully by old friends who blame her for Lee's death and doubt that she can change her self-destructive ways. Either she reinvents herself or she goes down for the count.

Emily, who has beauty, talent and charisma and is fluently multilingual, still dreams of a career in music. She sings her own darkly mystical lyrics in a throaty growl that suggests a fusion of Marianne Faithfull and Yoko Ono. But her high-strung, fiercely willful temperament makes her her own worst enemy; her tolerance for frustration is near zero.

She and Lee have a young son, Jay (James Dennis), who lives in Vancouver with Lee's parents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry), who are facing their declining years. When the Hausers visit London to settle their son's estate (now suddenly worth something because of his posthumous notoriety), Albrecht reaches out to Emily despite his trepidations.

A thoughtful, philosophic man with a tough inner core, Albrecht brings out a side of Mr. Nolte rarely seen on the screen, and he gives a deep and touching portrayal of a haggard, beleaguered older man trying to do the right thing as he imagines the future of the beloved grandson he and his wife have raised from infancy.

Any rapprochement between Albrecht and his daughter-in-law must be undertaken surreptitiously because Rosemary, who is in a London hospital undergoing tests for cancer, hates Emily unequivocally. As she rebuilds her life, Emily gradually becomes determined to establish a relationship with Jay, whose grandmother has poisoned him against her. The second half of "Clean" finds her taking the first steps to become a responsible mother and provider. She finds jobs, first as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant and later as a saleswoman in a department store.

Unlike the majority of recovery stories, in which sensationalism seesaws with gooey sentimental uplift, "Clean" shows just how hard it is to start life over in a lower key. Avoiding shortcuts and sugar-coated palliatives, it portrays Emily's acceptance of a more prosaic future as a torturous, quotidian process that moves in fits and starts. Although the screenplay doesn't go into pharmaceutical detail, she progresses from methadone, through illicitly obtained painkillers and marijuana toward relative stability and sobriety.

As it follows Emily's uncertain redemption, "Clean" gets sidetracked in subplots involving her sexually ambiguous relationships with women and the complicated, often careless erotic connections among her female acquaintances. This part of the film intends to evoke the way adventurous women on the bohemian fringe of the rock world casually break conventional boundaries. But these scenes, despite their intriguing implications, are finally more distracting than enlightening and slow down the film.

Eventually, "Clean" earns the goodwill that its screenplay has Albrecht express during one of his edgy conversations with Emily. "I believe in forgiveness," he declares slowly and deliberately, with intense emotion. "People change. If they need to, they change."

"Clean" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has drug taking, nudity, and strong language.

Clean
Opens today in New York and Los Angeles.
Written and directed by Olivier Assayas; director of photography, Éric Gautier; edited by Luc Barnier; produced by Édouard Weil, Xavier Giannoli, Xavier Marchand and Niv Fichman; released by Palm Pictures. Running time: 110 minutes.
WITH: Maggie Cheung (Emily Wang), Nick Nolte (Albrecht Hauser), James Dennis (Jay), Béatrice Dalle (Elena), Jeanne Balibar (Irène Paolini), Don McKellar (Vernon) and Martha Henry (Rosemary Hauser).

shrrshrr · 04-29-2006, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ***isy***

i've been out of the loop for awhile so i havent been online, plus FF was not accessible anyways...

shhrshrr - i've seen Bride with the white hair . it was intresting. i want to see A chinese ghost story and a chinese odyssey ....

i'm trying to remember the latest flicks i've seen...but i can't remember right now. memory lapse!

Sorry I missed this!

I actually own all three on VHS - and now one on DVD. They're excellent! Remind me of my childhood (early 70s) when we used to go watch the Saturday matinees in Chinese - didn't understand a word but didn't need to because the stories were so good.

***isy*** · 05-04-2006, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anabela

It's nice to see this thread back.

I've been watching some asian movies lately.
The best was Nobody Knows. I cried my eyes out. It was moving and absolutely beautiful. An amazing movie in every way. I love the story and the actors.

I've also seen some very recent asian movies.
-> Eli, Eli, rema, Sabachthani?
-> Mang Zhong

Anabela - i just saw Nobody Knows today, thanks to Mukooh

but like you, i cried so bad. it went to the point that i had to pause the dvd player because it hurt to much.

but its absolutely beautiful. i've passed the dvd onto my aunt, and warned her to have a box of tissues nearby.

i also saw a korean movie, A Millionaire's First Love , which was bittersweet. one scene in the movie totally moved me to tears.

yes, its one of those days where everything moves me and i get all teary and such.

Anabela · 05-05-2006, 06:52 AM

I am not that person who cries all the time. But Nobody Knows is really moving.

iluvpucca · 05-05-2006, 10:29 AM

Oh Oh Isy when Nobody Knows and Millionaire's First Love get to me I should have a towel ready then.

The Promise is I think being released today. I want to watch it.

I was a bit apprehensive about Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves remaking "Il Mare" but the trailers of "The Lakehouse" actually looks good but then again I can fully tell if its such a good thing after watching the film if it was true to "Il Mare" or not. I just hope they made a conscious effort to be true to the original film and I think they should promote it as a remake. Maybe that way if people like "The Lakehouse" they will be encouraged to get hold of a copy of "Il Mare"

***isy*** · 05-06-2006, 10:52 PM

Mukooh - Have you seen Clean then? i've been curious since its a Maggie Cheung film.

Anabela - that move is just heart breaking.

but its wonderfully acted.

Raissa - i think i liked Millionaire's First Love a lot coz...its Hyun Bin.

i have yet to see my copy of The Promise . i've been overloaded with smapxsmap episodes.

***isy*** · 05-06-2006, 10:52 PM

waaah i had a long post and it went kaput!

Silver`eYe · 05-07-2006, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iluvpucca

The Promise is I think being released today. I want to watch it.

Oh this movie is among my faves!Such a beautiful story...

mukooh · 05-07-2006, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ***isy***

Mukooh - Have you seen Clean then? i've been curious since its a Maggie Cheung film.

hi everybody.....

...

no i haven't seen even the trailer for 'clean' in a theater yet.....i believe the release date is sometime within the next couple of months?...

i kind of like the look of the poster though....very simple...very plain...yet somehow very moving....

i've been mostly just lurking lately...what with fanforum continuing to go down on a regular basis...and threads always disappearing.....i'm not sure how much longer i'm going to continue posting on fanforum....when i do quit posting i'll pm my e-mail address to those of you that would like to stay in touch......lately i've been doing more face to face discussions of film.......it's so much more enriching.......to see someone talking about films, to see it in their eyes....friends of mine say that i really become more animated, passionate and emotional when i talk to them about films....it's because i love them so much....i just seem to look at films a little bit differently now then i did before.....

i almost went to see 'the promise' the other day.....even though i've had the dvd for about 6 months now....but at the last minute i changed my mind....from what i understand the theatrical release, here in the us, is 25 minutes shorter than the original.....and to tell you the truth...while i enjoyed the story and the visuals.....some of the cgi was just horrible.......

all for now.....

shrrshrr · 05-07-2006, 09:41 AM

Honestly I hope you don't leave, but I understand why you would. (and I'm staying, FYI) It's true that it's very different discussing films in person, and the conversation can be more organic, but for me at least I'm far more likely to discover a diverse film culture on-line than I am around here, and that's saying something (considering I live in arguably the most diverse place on earth).

But as I said, if you leave I understand - I'll just miss you terribly on the boards. I plan on keeping in touch, though.

Just look at this thread - I've gained so much film knowledge from this thread alone, even though my friends are professional journalists and work in the Asian film industry. Sure, I get first dibs on original content, but they have their own biases, etc. This format expands on that exposure.

Just sayin'...

shrrshrr · 05-07-2006, 09:44 AM

An article from my friend Ron (some SPOILERS possible):

Quote:

From the Star Bulletin

WARNER INDEPENDENT PICTURES
The Goddess Manshen (Chen Hong), offers riches and power in exchange for true love.

Tempting fate in Chinese cinema
Filmmaker Chen Kaige defies his country's conventional wisdom
By Gary C.W. Chun

CHEN KAIGE believes in second chances.

Much like the character of Princess Qingcheng in his latest film, "The Promise," Chen has shown that a person's so-called destiny can be changed through thoughtful choices. Throughout much of his 24-year career in feature filmmaking, Chen has adeptly used allegory and metaphor to illustrate the battle between political and social doctrine and self-_expression.

In his latest movie, a goddess of fortune named Manshen plays a pivotal role in telling the main characters what direction their lives will take.

"Traditionally, Chinese people have a tendency to believe in destiny and fate," Chen said Friday in a telephone interview. "They're under their control, it was so written, so there's nothing they can do about it.

Cecelia Chueng (shown with Jang Dong-gun as Kunlun, a slave), plays a princess who makes a pact with the Goddess Manshen (Chen Hong), in which the princess chooses to forsake true love in exchange for riches and power.

"But I say that destiny is changeable. If you look at our history, I don't understand why people think that way. Even though there have been so many bad things, revolutions and chaos, there still was change. It's so very clear. I'm convinced of the message that, yes, we can allow and gain power to challenge destiny on the way to a better life.

"Manshen, while a messenger of destiny, tries to make deals with the different characters. Destiny will win, but if you're strong enough, with the kind of love and freedom the princess gains at the end, you can challenge destiny successfully."

THE CHINESE filmmaker, whose groundbreaking debut, "Yellow Earth,"was championed by the Hawaii International Film Festival in 1985, is back with his most commercial endeavor to date. "The Promise" opens Friday in local theaters and in major U.S. markets such as New York and Los Angeles.

In some ways, Chen has Hawaii to thank for introducing him to a worldwide audience as he became one of the forerunners of revitalizing filmmaking in mainland China.

The 53-year-old is among filmmakers dubbed the "Fifth Generation" that graduated in 1982 from the Beijing Film Academy. Also part of the group is Zhang Yimou, who was honored at last year's film fest. Zhang's own profile has increased greatly of late, thanks to the international success of his last two films, "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers."

Zhang, coincidentally, was the cinematographer for Chen's breakout hit, 1984's "Yellow Earth." Chen's reputation solidified with "Farewell My Concubine," a winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and a Best Foreign Film Oscar nominee the following year. His filmography also includes "Temptress Moon" (1997), with Gong Li and Leslie Cheung, and "The Emperor and the Assassin" (1999, and a memorable entry in the Hawaii film fest that year).

His lone foray into Hollywood filmmaking was the disappointing 2002 "Killing Me Softly," starring Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes. The following year saw him make "Together," a small, partly autobiographical film set in contemporary Beijing.

"The Promise" (a k a "Wu ji") hopes to build on the international success of compatriot Zhang's recent films. Asked if the $35 million film was meant for a mass Chinese audience, as compared with the art-house nature of his previous work, Chen answered with a short laugh.

"You're probably 60 percent right. But we need to develop our own market in China with this big movie. Over the last 10 years, the domestic market has been dominated by the American action film. We see so much Hollywood movies, there's so much expectation for Chinese-made movies.

"But I don't think my movie was made mainly for a Chinese audience. The budget was fairly big, compared to my previous work, but I think the movie has a universal soul. People really relate to the film on an emotional level, seeing the reactions of the many preview screenings it's had with American and Canadian audiences."

TO ATTRACT the widest audience possible, Chen said he took a pan-Asian approach to "The Promise." So much so, he needed translators who could speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese and English.

"I even chose the actors from three countries in Asia," he said. "I wanted to make an Asian film -- in other words, using stories that are timeless and not necessarily limited to one specific area. I like to say that this movie takes place 3,000 years ago in the future. While history is important, I wanted to create a dreamlike world, something that the audience could watch with a baby's perspective.

"It's a beautiful, fresh world, but the characters are also very brutal in their relationships. ... When I looked around for actors, I found the Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who's been in several samurai films, as well as 'The Last Samurai' with Tom Cruise. The Korean guy who plays the slave, Jang Dong-gun, he has very charming eyes and is a very big star back in his home country. Looking at the way of his acting, I'm convinced he did a very good job. He has to make people believe he is innocent, that he has a golden heart, that even though he is so treated as an animal, he can stand up to show his love for the princess (played by Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung)."

"The Promise" features much martial arts and stunt wire work, and copious CGI effects. "I knew it would be a difficult process going into this film, but I didn't know it was going to be SO difficult. That's because I was very ambitious, and I wanted to put so much stuff in it. ... Shooting was for six months, and it took a year and a half more to finish it with the additional effects."

A KEY ELEMENT in Chen's films has been destiny -- how our lives seem fated, starting from childhood.

Chen is the son of a renowned Chinese filmmaker, Chen Huai'ai, but during the tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution, he was caught up in the party line. As an impressionable teenager, while a member of Mao Tse-tung's Red Guard, he once publicly denounced his father as a counterrevolutionary.

Chen later took back that damning remark, and his father has come to accept his son's following in his footsteps. But the unfiltered force of young people's emotions continues to inform Chen's cinematic vision.

"I can't help but put children in my films," Chen said. "It's my understanding that children can be innocent and naive, and always say what they think. It's a big difference when they grow up. ... I always say that children take to life naturally, while adults can be devious, treating life itself as a game. That's why some of my movies, like 'Farewell My Concubine' and 'The Promise,' I start with my main characters as children."

***isy*** · 05-07-2006, 10:02 AM

Mukooh - aww...

well i hope you don't leave since you are one of the very few that livens up this thread. actually there was one FForumer who used to do the Asian Cinema thread, and she/he vanished, so i kind of continued to do it to further asian cinema discussions. at any rate, i'll respect whatever decision you have.

as for The Promise - i reallllyy need to get on watching it.

as for Clean , Netflix has the dvd already, i'll put it in my 1,000 dvd queue (ha! just kidding).

but one of the recent movies i rented (and will watch later tonight) is Neighbour #13 .

gah, i can;t find a poster/image. will do later when i get home...

but review from Midnight eye:

http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/neighbour13.shtml

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